Wednesday, 28 December 2016

Phew, it's over! Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas but when it's scorching hot and there's so much going on, it's easy to lose track of things - like time for instance. I had no idea it was Wednesday today. I only just realized a few moments before blogging this post which is why it's so late. Perhaps I shouldn't admit that I've lost track of the days, but it's true.

How was your Christmas?

Ours was hot. We had turkey and were hoping right until the last minute to do everything inside, but a forecast of 36c meant that we decided to cook everything outside on the BBQ. It was the only way to go. In my household, Christmas is always hectic, for right after the day itself it's straight into preparations for my youngest DD's birthday and it's a super busy time all round. The stinking heat just makes everything seem harder. Mind you, we have air conditioning so I shouldn't complain, but we do all feel fatigued and I can't wait for this hot spell to pass.

Hope you're all having a beautifully calm, family focused break. As for me, I'm grateful that my DH stocked up well before Christmas which means we don't have to venture out into the crazy sales and rush that's going on right now.

Saturday, 24 December 2016

The wafers are made and resting (below), and the dough for our once a year 'mlinci' is finally done too. I'll post the full recipes later in the week.

Today I've been cleaning and setting the table for what will be a scorching Christmas Day - 36c!
Today was also 36c although our outside house thermometer, which is always more accurate that the news report, reached a reading of 38c. Yes, it's going to be a very hot Christmas!

There are some dishes we only make and eat at Christmas which I always look forward to making with my DDs in the week leading up to the day, but this year we scaled back our cooking plans at the last minute to just the essentials. We have air conditioning and it's fine inside our house, but I find the weather makes cakes and other baked goods misbehave. So we're keeping it as low key as we can this Christmas.

With the temperature soaring, we've decided to bake our Turkey on the BBQ rather than indoors, and will keep our oven working to a minimum.

Now I'm off to water the poinsettias before bed, I don't want them expiring before Christmas Day lunch !

Wednesday, 21 December 2016

Wow, what a year it's been! I'm surprised that it's Christmas time already and even more surprised that it's Christmas baking time. It just doesn't feel like December to me. Oh well, there's no doubt it is and I just have to mentally catch up to start 2017 feeling like it really is a New Year.

Many years ago, we moved to gift free Christmases as we realized that we had everything we needed and wanted. In the years since, Christmas time has been free of any shopping frenzy and we usually spend the week leading up to Christmas together at home, baking and talking about the year ahead.

Some years, it's simply too hot to bake in Australia and other years, like this year, we're doing more assembling than 'baking' itself. Today I'll be making Wafers with my youngest DD who finished work yesterday, my other DD finishes work on Friday so she'll just enjoy our wafers and miss out on our kitchen gathering this year. We'll be talking lots of photos for her and no doubt I'll post the recipe here once we've finished. The yearly recipe cycle is an important one on my blog because no matter how many times I write my recipes out, or how many times my DDs watch and join me in making it, they always want the recipe again. Now, they just check out my blog! Are you ready for Christmas? Is it just me or does the Festive Season feel different this year?

Sunday, 18 December 2016

I first posted this recipe in 2008, it's one of those recipes that's just always been in the family, always impresses and is a real treasure to share. And I always re-post this blog entry in the week before Christmas each year, as about now is the time when people start calling me for the recipe! There are a few versions around, but they all end up at the same place: an almost too cute to eat peach. Perfect with tea and delightful in the afternoon....or anytime. It's fun to make with children and a wonderful classic to introduce into your 'what to bring?' repertoire. With December fast upon us, if you haven't made a peach before...why not try one now?

I'm always being asked about this recipe and make a point of making them at Easter and Christmas. They have a very special place in my family and have become a family favourite. I have tried a few different versions in all the years I've been making them and they were all delicious (except for the shortbread version which completely crumbled - what was I thinking??) but this recipe below is the staple I keep returning to.

Feel free to experiment and make it your own. You have extra liberty with the filling - my favourite is firmly nuts, leftover crushed biscuit and condensed milk with a splash of rum. But I've enjoyed nutells mixed into crushed nuts, a paste of dried raisins and rum and even lindt chocolate balls softened in the microwave and then squashed between the two sides. You can really do anything as long as it holds and keeps. Another nice touch is to add a sprig of stem to the peaches (break off a piece of pretzel) and add mint leaves immediately before serving.

I was planning on making an extra large batch this year, but it's been too hot down my way. It's over 41c today and Christmas day is forecast for 37c with hot days all between - the worst weather for biscuit making, so it looks like I'll be giving my baking a miss this year. Still, for those of you able to bake and interested in trying out this traditional, charming biscuit - here it is:

click the read more tab below to view the full recipe and instructions.

Saturday, 17 December 2016

I'm still going on with my new background idea. I will be removing the aqua border as it just doesn't work. I added an extra 1.5 inches to my background measurement, but after stitching lines, it shrunk more than I expected and I am now running short for the border.

Can you even believe it? Such basic mistakes! What am I doing?!

So it looks like I will have to mix up my borders between the black and yellow.

Like so:

With Christmas next week, I was hoping to get this wall hanging done, but I no longer think this will be possible. For one thing, I'm not 100% about my background yet! I think I will pause for now and watch and see what everyone over in the Sweet 2016 Group is opting for on their backgrounds...I need some perspective!

Friday, 16 December 2016

Nope, those lovely plates just don't work! Seeing my last Sweet 2016 background fabric on screen confirmed to me that it wasn't right. The lovely plates were lost behind the domes and the beautiful cake domes were lost in all the visual activity going on. I guess I got lost because of my love for the plate print fabric. I will put it away and use it some place else. Perhaps a table runner.. but that's a whole different project.

I've had numerous background ideas - from red velvet, to charcoal, to aqua, to floral prints. I've been completely spoilt for choice and ideas. But now it's time to narrow it down and commit - and I've been really struggling with this.Which is no good because I did plan on finishing this wall hanging by Christmas but I'll never get there without deciding on the background fabric first.

After even more playing around, I've been taken by the idea of a bold yellow and black background (without the light aqua print border you can see in the first image above, that will go and be replaced by a yellow or black border.)

I've stitched strips of black and yellow together to create the top and I plan on stitching yellow lines over the black and black lines over the yellow and I'll let you know how I get on..

Wednesday, 14 December 2016

This month I released Part 11 & 12 of Sweet 2016 together to everyone who started this BOM on it's launch - allowing original starters to get their blocks in order before the end of year. And this means, it's not a Mystery anymore! I always feel a little sad when a BOM ends, which is silly, but I do miss the monthly excitement of revealing each new part. Now it's time to put my domes over my chosen background and I must admit. I'm in two minds about it. First I loved it, then I didn't. Now I'm not sure. The lovely border is a bit washed out in this pic above, it looks better in real life (as below)

The problem is, I'm so in love with the fabric, but is it too crowded? I think so. Then again, maybe that's OK? I need fresh eyes. so I'll put this aside for a week before I take a final critical look. What do you think? And have you selected your own background fabric yet??

Tuesday, 13 December 2016

All good things must come to an end. Can you believe it’s time for the last cake? This month the final dome is ready for either a strawberry layer cake or a black forest gateaux. Whichever you make, there’s only room for one on the wall-hanging, so choose your favorite. I’ll be making the black forest option for a cushion to sit on a nearby sofa and I’ll also be making another festive cushion to bring out at Christmas with my 'spare' plum pudding block.

Remember, only make one for the wall hanging!

Here's how I made my strawberry layer cake

I went for a sponge / biscuit colouring, but it would also look stunning in chocolate hues

As always, number all your pieces and work in stages

I picked a lovely fabric for the strawberries, but if you can't find one that's right, you can always indicate in the inside colour tones with permanent pencils / pigments

Keep checking back to the pattern for size accuracy

The other cake option is a black forest gateaux with cherries on top, so pick whichever you love

and this brings us to the end of our great cake adventure!

Now all you have to do is select your background fabric if you haven't already. Tomorrow I'll show you how mine looks..I'm rather undecided at the moment!

Understanding the pattern release schedule: anyone can join Sweet 2016 at any time and when they do, they will receive a new block each month from that point onward. The day they receive each new block will depend on the date they signed up and made their first payment. Everyone who starts Sweet 2016, starts at the beginning, Part 1. Specific blocks cannot be purchased out of turn. Whenever you choose to start this BOM, be sure to keep us updated on your progress by sharing your work over in our Sweet 2016 BOM Facebook Group, see you there!

Monday, 12 December 2016

This month it’s time to bake the last of the mini dome cakes, and this one is finished with a decorative stripe detail. Whether it be a vanilla cream, a salted caramel or a chocolate swirl cake, it’s topped off with a gumpaste rose and petals.

If the stripes are too challenging to applique, consider using thin ribbon or thread to indicate the lines. I had planned on a bold white background with red stripe cake (like a candy cane) but fell in love with a decorative ribbon and brown fabric combination which moved my cake into a chocolate caramel zone—so go with what you love.

This month is also a good time to make a final decision regarding the scalloped fringes on your trays. I’ve been going back and froth throughout the BOM, regarding whether to fringe some, a mix or all. I’ve finally decided to fringe all the mini dome cakes and I’m still deciding on the larger domes (the scallops remain the same size). You could of course also choose to add ribbon detailing or lace.

These final details might be influenced by your background fabric and I will make my final choices when I add my cakes to the final print background I’ve selected. Depending on the overall look, I may need to add contrasting lines to the bottom trays to stand out from the background print. I’ll decide when I have it all pinned down.

Understanding the pattern release schedule: anyone can join Sweet 2016 at any time and when they do, they will receive a new block each month from that point onward. The day they receive each new block will depend on the date they signed up and made their first payment. Everyone who starts Sweet 2016, starts at the beginning, Part 1. Specific blocks cannot be purchased out of turn. Whenever you choose to start this BOM, be sure to keep us updated on your progress by sharing your work over in our Sweet 2016 BOM Facebook Group, see you there!

***Original starters (those who joined the BOM in or prior to February 14th 2016 will receive both Parts 11 AND 12 this month to wrap up the BOM on schedule.**

Wednesday, 7 December 2016

Last year just before Christmas, I pulled out my favorite Christmas tablecloth. It's a stencilled tablecloth that is based around my quilt Red December. This quilt was released as a free Christmas project several years ago and I loved the motifs so much that I re-used them to create a similar matching pattern on my table. The idea was to hang Red December on my kitchen wall and enjoy this tablecloth on the table. Well, I just loved this tablecloth, but thought it was missing something. So last year I added a red trim. I did this in just under an hour, it was an easy project and it finished the tablecloth beautifully.

Then, after lunch, I bundled it into the laundry and forgot about it until after the New Year. And after that, I just popped it into the machine without a second thought. I had planned to spot clean it. But you can guess what happened next - I didn't color test my red trim fabric because it was in the 'safe' stash and I was sure it would never run. And it did run, and now my tablecloth has a pink tinge to it.

The fact that I have a colour testing tutorial on my sidebar is not lost on me - why don't I take my own advice?! I put it away earlier this year as I couldn't deal with my Christmas tablecloth disaster and had thoughts of simply re-making it. So today, I'm soaking it and trying to save it one last time. I'm using Synthrapol and hoping for the best. Just lately I've done this with several batches of my hand dyed stash and have been amazed at the colour run - especially as I did everything so meticulously during and after the dying process. It just goes to show, you can never be too careful. Hopefully from now on, I'll take my own advice.

Sunday, 4 December 2016

What a wonderful treat it is for me to add yet another Love Entwined quilt to the LE Gallery. Today it's Jenn Dewey Rice's beautiful creation. Oh Jenn, I love your colour scheme here, the yellow and blue really draws the eye into the centre and of course, the pink motifs are gorgeous! LE is such a large quilt and as well as being a big undertaking, it's hard to photograph full in, up front. Jenn, thank you so much for taking the time to send this image in, it's wonderful to see the workmanship of another LE and I'm impressed that you managed to make it within 3.5 years. WOW!

Like Jenn, I also think about the first woman who made the original quilt. Initially I thought it was a girl, but looking at the elements realized that it must have been a woman and that left me wondering about the purpose of the quilt. As with every finished LE, the mystery lingers.

Here's what Jenn had to say about her quilt in her own words:

"My name is Jenn Rice Dewey and I am from Scotts Valley, California, USA

​

I loved the pattern from the first time I saw it. I loved working on all of the pattern. Each time I started a new part I loved what I was doing. I love any kind of a challenge. I always seem to pick things to do that will give me a challenge.

I heard someone say that in the 1790's they used bright colors. I wondered if the lady that first made the coverlet was a young girl adding to her wedding things for after she was married. I started this quilt 3 ½ years ago. I could only work on it when I wasn't working to take care of my parents.

I want to thank Esther for allowing us to have this pattern. It was very challenging but also fun. It makes me want to be more challenged in the future."

Are you making LE? We have a dedicated LE Group over on Facebook (click the image above to join) and don't forget to add your own LE to the LE Gallery - and remember, you can always email me updates or more pictures if they occur at any time.

Welcome to My Blog

Hello, I'm Esther: a textile artist & quilter. This blog is where I share my original Free BOMs, work on projects, talk quilts and experiment with new techniques.

Find my Quilt Archives at the top of this page (and don't forget to add your own linky if you've made any of my quilts yourself) or leave a comment on the Quilt Archive Page and let us know what corner of the world you're in, it's always so nice to see how widespread our Group is!

Each Wednesday you're invited to take part in my Weekly WOWs linky party as bloggers around the world drop in to share their stash busting efforts.

And don't forget to join my BOM Groupwhere you can become a member and take part in my BOMs for free.

I'm so glad you're here

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Wednesdays are WOW days Linky Party

Join us each Wednesday as we share our WIPs, talk techniques and inspiration. If you don't have a blog, share your own WOW by leaving a comment each Wednesday.

Elmer's Disappearing Purple Glue

Here it is - my daily essential applique glue everyone always asks me about. I always buy it in the 6gram smaller size as it's easier to use in applique. I used to think this glue was 'starch' and have since been corrected on that point - but it's still my staple. It's effective yet washes away like a dream and doesn't gum up my machine when sewing.

2017 Mainly Applique Mystery BOM

Just Finished! Download NOW! My Free 2017 Block Of The Month!

It's the FINAL month of my Free BOM 2017. Diamond Hill will run Jan - July 2017 and the finished size is 72 x 72 inches. This is a Free BOM and you can download the pattern over in my BOM Quilt Group on Facebook or right here on my blog, on the 15th of each month. CLICK THIS IMAGE to go to the Diamond Hill ARCHIVE.

Have You Joined Yet?

This is the place to download current free BOM patterns, chat with others and share your ideas, tips and pics as you make any of my quilts! My Free BOM Quilt Group is located over on Facebook, click the image to apply to join. Membership is free. Click this image to join.

Start a New BOM Today!

These quilts are perpetual BOMs - you can start any time, and receive your blocks via email each month.

Sweet 2016 Wall Hanging BOM

This gorgeous quilt is ready and waiting for you to make a start! Click the image to read more about Sweet 2016!

Oma's Blues

Finished Size: 76 x 76 inches

Creative Bloggers Directory

Add your blog for free, connect with other creative people online and find exciting new blogs

Looking for one of my quilts?

Love Entwined:1790 Marriage Coverlet

Make it month by month via subscription or purchase the pattern outright. Finished Size: 96 x 96 inches.CLICK THIS IMAGE to go to the Love Entwinedl ARCHIVE.

Thursday Flowers

Red December

Finished Size: 74 x 74 inches. CLICK THIS IMAGE to go to the Red December ARCHIVE.

12 Days of Christmas

Finished Size: 42 x 51 inches. CLICK THIS IMAGE to go to the 12 Days of Christmas ARCHIVE.

Glad Tidings

A bed quilt, Throw Quilt and Table Runner

Get Together & Quilt!

Reading, Sharing & Enjoying...

These are the books I love, rely on and know to be worth their space on my shelf.

I am currently downsizing but these books are my 'essentials' and will stay with me forever. I'm often asked which books I recommend for applique and quilting (and knitting) and I know I've scribbled titles down for people whenever I am out and about, so I'm really happy to share my bookshelf titles here.

I buy a lot of my books at the Book Depository and have done for the last 5 years, I definitely recommend them as a bookseller.

'Simply Successful Applique' by Jeanne Sullivan

This is a book I am always recommending - in my opinion its the only applique book a quilter needs. I've also had the pleasure of getting to know Jean online and she is as generous and thoughtful as this book is thorough and engaging. If you don't already own this title, why ever not?!

'QuiltMaking by Hand' by Jinny Beyer

I must have recommended this book at least 100 times in the last 10 years, it's an essential read for all quilters